Chapter 11
If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away,
and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles.
Job 11:14
Zophar’s first speech
God is kind
v1 Zophar, who belonged to the people called Naamathites, replied. He said:
v2 I must answer Job’s many words. I cannot agree that his long speech was right.
v3 Job, no man should be silent when he hears your foolish words. Someone must stop you when you laugh (at our words). v4 You claim that you are innocent. You claim that you are right. v5 But if God spoke, he would accuse you. v6 He would tell you the secrets of wisdom that are hard to discover. You need to realise this:
· God does not punish you for all your evil behavior.
Zophar was unhappy when he heard Job’s words.
Verses 1-3
Zophar’s words seem angry. Job’s speech upset Zophar. Eliphaz wanted to encourage Job (Job 4:3-6). Bildad wanted to correct Job (Job 8:2-4). But Zophar wanted to warn Job.
Verses 4-5
At the start, Job’s friends believed that Job was a good man. But they could not explain why God would allow an innocent man to suffer. So they started to think that Job might, in fact, be evil.
Zophar’s explanation shows his doubts about Job’s character. Zophar said that he was wise enough to
God is very great
v7 You cannot search for God. And you cannot find him.
You cannot measure his greatness. v8 You would need to measure heaven and hell. So, you know nothing. v9 You cannot even measure the sea and the land.
v10 Suppose that God comes to arrest you. In his court, nobody could oppose God. v11 God knows when people lie. God watches evil men.
v12 But a stupid man will not become wise. A wild donkey (animal) is not born tame.
Verses 7-11
Zophar’s words in verses 7-9 are like God’s words in Job 38:4-5 and Job 38:19. God said these things to teach Job about God’s greatness. But Zophar wanted to frighten Job.
Zophar was saying, ‘God is very great.
He would not do anything wrong.
Job, you are suffering. So, you are clearly an evil man.
You have no right even to speak to God.
You do not deserve to ask God why you are suffering.’
Verse 12
Zophar did not even think that Job would learn anything. You can read more about wild donkeys (animals) in Job 39:5-8. Nobody controls such animals. And Zophar thought that Job’s attitudes were entirely wrong.
Zophar’s advice to Job
v13 So, change your attitudes! Pray to God! v14 Stop all evil behaviour! Even in private, do not do anything evil!
v15 Then, your face will have no spots. You will be confident. You will not be afraid. v16 In time, you will forget your troubles. Your troubles will go by, like water in a river. v17 You will feel stronger than the sunshine at noon. Even the night will seem like the morning. v18 You will have hope. So, you will be safe. You will see that it is safe to rest. v19 When you lie down, nobody will make you afraid. And people will want to be your friends.
v20 But wicked people will suffer. They will not understand what is happening. They will be unable to
escape. They will wish that they could die.
Verses 13-14
Job was well-known for his good character (Job 29:11-12). So Zophar thought that Job’s evil deeds must be secret. Jesus also taught that God sees our private behavior (Matthew 6:1-4).
Verse 15
Zophar’s words here were clever. Job had spots on his face because of his illness (Job 2:7). But the first sentence also means, ‘Then, you will not be ashamed.’
But this sentence also shows Zophar’s errors. Zophar only spoke about Job’s face. Job had spots over his whole body. In other words, Zophar was too simple. He thought that good people suffer no troubles. And he thought that evil people suffer great troubles. Job’s other friends believed Zophar. They liked his simple explanation. But his explanation was not correct.
Verses 16-19
These are beautiful words. In heaven, our lives will be like this. But in this world, sometimes good people must suffer, like Job. And sometimes our friends, like Job’s friends, will give us the wrong advice.
When we suffer troubles, we, like Job, must trust God.
Verse 20
Zophar thought that wicked people always have terrible lives. In fact, this was his explanation for Job’s troubles.
Job’s troubles were so terrible that he wanted to die (Job 7:15-16).
Keith Simons